Since my previous attempt to make resin turned out to be rubbery, I am going to give it another try and take pictures along the way to document for me what I did or may have done wrong. So, here we go.
I set an alarm clock for 2 minutes, which is the amount of primary stirring time.
I made sure the release spray on my mold had dried.
I used some rubbing alcohol to clean out 2 measuring cups.
So, even though I did not end up taking pictures of the entire process (It is hard to stir and photograph at the same time.), planning on doing that made me much more aware of what I was doing.
Think about the mold release spray, I decided to read the bottle again. It seems I missed a step last time around. One is supposed to wipe the mold once the release spray was in, kind of like wiping cast iron with oil.
With the wiping done, I measured out resin to the 1/2 tsp. line on the measuring cup. As this was sitting on my jeweler's scale, I got a weight of 2.5 grams.
I then measured out 1/2 tsp. of hardener on top of the resin, as per the resin instructions. I did this by bringing the measurement up to the 1 tsp. line (1/2 tsp. + 1/2 tsp. = 1 tsp.). With so much to pay attention to, I forgot to write down the weight of the hardener, so this is where I gave up the camera.
After turning on my timer, I stirred the mixture. While stirring, I paid attention to the bubbles. These little cups that come with the resin kit have the measurement lines as part of the design of the cup. What I am trying to convey is they are raised lines on the inside of the cup. That actually adds to the bubbles. Every time my stir stick hit one of those lines or bumps, bubbles would appear in the mixture. Now another possible solution to the bubble problem becomes clear: Get measuring cups without bumps!
During the 2 minutes of stirring, the mixture went cloudy and then clarified. This mixture was then poured into a clean cup and stirred with a clean stick for another 1 minute. I tried to get as many bubbles out of the mixture while it was still in the cup.
I received another surprise as I began to pour. Even though this batch was started with the same measurement as the failed rubbery batch (1 tsp. of resin), it did not make 4 complete jewels. In fact, it only made 2 whole jewels plus a partial of another. Once poured, I used a toothpick to try and get as many of the air bubbles out as I could. I need to get that heat gun ordered so I can try that for bubble raising and bursting. Lastly, I poured rubbing alcohol into my measuring cups to clean them out. Something that is mentioned in passing is that liquid resin can be cleaned up with rubbing alcohol, so if one gets to the measuring cups quick enough, they can be cleaned out and used again. This is good news for the future purchase of permanent cups, as mentioned above.
Now that the jewels are set up, they should be able to be removed in 12 hours. I'm not sure I will be awake in 12 hours, so it may wait until tomorrow afternoon sometime. Once I have them out, I will create a new post with the results.
The pictures on the page appear smaller than they are. To see them larger, simply double click on the picture. Also, I always welcome your constructive criticism. Click on the Comment link below next to the icon of a pencil; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.
Think about the mold release spray, I decided to read the bottle again. It seems I missed a step last time around. One is supposed to wipe the mold once the release spray was in, kind of like wiping cast iron with oil.
After turning on my timer, I stirred the mixture. While stirring, I paid attention to the bubbles. These little cups that come with the resin kit have the measurement lines as part of the design of the cup. What I am trying to convey is they are raised lines on the inside of the cup. That actually adds to the bubbles. Every time my stir stick hit one of those lines or bumps, bubbles would appear in the mixture. Now another possible solution to the bubble problem becomes clear: Get measuring cups without bumps!
During the 2 minutes of stirring, the mixture went cloudy and then clarified. This mixture was then poured into a clean cup and stirred with a clean stick for another 1 minute. I tried to get as many bubbles out of the mixture while it was still in the cup.
I received another surprise as I began to pour. Even though this batch was started with the same measurement as the failed rubbery batch (1 tsp. of resin), it did not make 4 complete jewels. In fact, it only made 2 whole jewels plus a partial of another. Once poured, I used a toothpick to try and get as many of the air bubbles out as I could. I need to get that heat gun ordered so I can try that for bubble raising and bursting. Lastly, I poured rubbing alcohol into my measuring cups to clean them out. Something that is mentioned in passing is that liquid resin can be cleaned up with rubbing alcohol, so if one gets to the measuring cups quick enough, they can be cleaned out and used again. This is good news for the future purchase of permanent cups, as mentioned above.
Now that the jewels are set up, they should be able to be removed in 12 hours. I'm not sure I will be awake in 12 hours, so it may wait until tomorrow afternoon sometime. Once I have them out, I will create a new post with the results.
The pictures on the page appear smaller than they are. To see them larger, simply double click on the picture. Also, I always welcome your constructive criticism. Click on the Comment link below next to the icon of a pencil; it may say "No" or have a number in front of it.
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